The Humble Weedmat to the Rescue!

For Kiwis with a deep-seated hate for weeding, a weedmat is the obvious answer. Not all weedmats are created equal though. We help you decide on the best option for your garden situation.

As much as we hate to admit it, not all of us are born with a green finger.

Even avid gardeners who get ecstatic about the latest crop of cucumber or tomatoes, tend to assign a bottom rating score to pulling weeds in the hierarchy of favourite garden adventures.

The obvious answer, of course, is the humble weedmat.

Here’s the thing: Not all weedmats are created equal. With so many options to choose from and with a wide range of price options, how do you select one over the other?

Deciding factors when settling on a weedmat

Making up your mind on the next weedmat purchase is admittedly not the most earth-shattering decision you will take in your life. Yet, there is no denying that it is still a bit of an investment. We recommend doing your homework before getting the credit card out. You know the adage; prevention is better than the cure.

With not much further ado, here are some of the factors to consider:

• How big is the area you need to cover?
• What’s the area like? Is it a flat area? Or is it on a slope?
• What type of soil are you dealing with? How is the drainage in this area?
• What’s the sun-exposure like?
• Will you be planting a new lush oasis? Or is it going to be a desert rock garden?
• Which cover are you going to use? Bark? Pebbles? Shells?
• How long do you want it to last?
• Do you prefer an environment-friendly option?
• What’s your budget?

Woven vs non-woven weedmat

One of the most asked questions when it comes to weedmat is whether you should choose a woven or non-woven option.

Here’s what you need to know:

Many people will say that a woven weedmat is stronger, will last longer but is more expensive. The fact is, it’s a little more complicated than that.

A woven weedmat comprises of a crisscross weaving pattern that makes the fabric super-strong. One thing to bear in mind here, this type of fabric can limit drainage compared to the non-woven option.

Non-woven weedmat has a reputation of not being as strong, yet when designed well, it still offers great strength and durability. The biggest perks of the non-woven weedmat is that is has excellent permeability and stabilising soil properties.

The bottom-line?

There is no one-size fits all. The best option is the one that suits your specific garden situation. Which is exactly why we have a range of options for different applications.

The Strol weedmat options for your garden

Ultimately, what we want from our weedmat is to boost our growing garden plants while also putting a lid on the weeds.

Which option is right for your garden? The Strol weedmats utilise the virtues of each material to their advantage for each specific garden situation. (Remember, not all weedmats are created equal!)

SmartMat Premium or WeedStop High Retention

These woven weedmats have a non-woven backing, designed to do a top-job in reducing evaporation. It’s the perfect choice for dry soils and areas that get little rainfall. The non-woven backing also prevents fraying.

SmartMat Enviro or WeedStop High Absorption 

These non-woven weedmats are hydrophilically treated (meaning ‘readily absorbing water’) to keep plants happy in areas that have high water run-off.  For this reason, these weedmats are the pick of the bunch when planting on a slope or any other situation where water is required to pass through quickly to the plant roots.

SmartMat Landscape Fabric

Are the weeds coming through your decking area doing your head in? Or are you plotting a new garden path? Finally replacing that retaining wall? Either way, our non-woven, needle punched SmartMat Landscape weedmat is the answer. This geotextile type weedmat keeps the soil separate from the top layer while still doing an outstanding job in water drainage. It is the bee’s knees to help stabilise soil and keeps the weeds at bay. Sometimes you can have it all!

Did we mention all Strol weedmats are super easy to lay?

Finally, our top tips

All Strol weedmats are UV treated but -surprise, surprise- there is no escaping our harsh New Zealand sun. That’s why we recommend covering your new Strol weedmat as soon as you have laid it.

Level the area and remove any debris before embarking on the weedmat laying. It will extend the lifetime of your weedmat.

So with this information, we salute and leave you to put up your boots to enjoy that relaxing weekend. No more weed pulling in the future!

View our full range of landscape fabrics & accessories.

SmartMat is available to buy through Bunnings and WeedStop through Mitre 10.